All cases of organ transplants, both from living and deceased donors, receive a unique NOTTO ID

All organ transplant cases, whether from a living or deceased donor, are assigned a unique National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) ID for both the donor and recipient. It must be generated by the hospital from the NOTTO website (www.notto.mohfw.gov.in). The Union Health Ministry has issued a directive to eliminate commercial trade in organs, especially when it involves foreign citizens.

The latest order, issued to all states and Union Territories, comes after reports of malpractice and a rise in the number of organ transplants related to foreigners in the country, the ministry said. It has also called for stricter supervision of such transplants by local authorities.

In its communication earlier this month, the ministry had said that the competent authority of the state, appointed under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994, should investigate transplants of foreigners in the state, apart from any complaint regarding the violation of any provision or rule of law, requiring appropriate action to be taken if such violations come to light.

“NOTTO-ID is mandatory when considering organ allocation for transplantation from a deceased donor. This ID must also be generated at the earliest in the case of a transplant from a living donor, a maximum of within 48 hours after the transplant has been performed,” the communication said.

The ministry has also called for the establishment of a system of regular inspection of the registered transplant/recovery hospital by the competent government agency, and on-site monitoring of the quality of the transplant, postoperative follow-up of the donor and recipient , and its outcomes. .

Any violation of the THOTA, 1994 and its rules should be investigated, and appropriate action would include suspension of registration to perform organ transplants if hospitals are involved in illegal activities.

“Time and again, letters have been written to states for sharing data related to organ donation and transplantation with NOTTO. However, complete data is still not being received. It is once again requested to ensure regular collection and exchange of data of all transplant cases, including those of foreigners with NOTTO on a monthly basis,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, as per the provisions of THOTA, in the case of a foreign national, prior approval of the Authorization Committee is required before any organ or tissue or both are removed or transplanted. Where the proposed donor or the recipient is a foreigner, a senior embassy official of the country of origin must certify the relationship between the donor and the recipient in accordance with Form 21 of THOTA, and in case a country does not have an embassy in India, the relationship certificate, in the same format, must be issued by the government of that country.

The laws also provide for the authenticity of the donor’s and recipient’s documents to be verified by senior embassy officials. The authorization committee and the senior embassy official must also assess and certify that the donation of the organ was made out of love and affection; no financial transaction took place between the recipient and the donor; and there was no pressure or coercion on the donor, the ministry had maintained in its response to a question posed by MP Mala Roy in Parliament earlier this year on kidney donations in private hospitals.